Books by Malcolm Hislop

Malcolm Hislop looks at the hugely popular subject of castles from the unusual perspective of design and construction.

A major architectural assessment of the Edwardian castle in Wales. Reappraises one of the best-known castle builders of the Middle Ages.

Birmingham Archaeology Monograph Series 7This report describes the results of an archaeological programme undertaken by Birmingham Archaeology between 2005 and 2007 at King's Norton, Birmingham, for King's Norton Parochial Church Council. It also incorporates the documentary research conducted independently by George Demidowicz and Stephen Price, concentrating on tenurial history, the history of repairs, historic images and the wider village landscape. The work was largely associated with the restoration of two buildings adjacent to the parish churchyard in the centre of the former village, both of which contain substantial 15th-century timber-framed elements. The Old Grammar School and the Saracen's Head were the winners of the BBC Restoration programme competition in 2004, an event that facilitated the restoration aims of the PCC by precipitating access to Heritage Lottery Fund support. The finds included a large assemblage of pottery from the earlier and later medieval periods, as well as a number of Roman sherds. Several medieval clay roof tiles were represented, and there was a small collection of glazed floor tiles apparently contemporary with the Saracen's Head, some of which appear to have been in situ when recovered. Such an array of evidence for medieval occupation was not replicated during the excavation at No. 86 on the opposite side of The Green, where nothing that was definitely earlier than the 16th century was recorded or recovered. Although the site was close to or within the important medieval Prior's Court complex, the paucity of the archaeology may be related to the limited size of the excavation combined with the severe truncation of the site. It was fortunate that documentary evidence was able to provide an historical context to interpret the slim findings.Written by Malcolm Hislop, George Demidowicz and Stephen Price.With contributions by Robert Burrows, Mark Charles, Kevin Colls, Mary Duncan, Christopher Hewitson, David Higgins, Matilda Holmes, Rob Ixer, Phil Mills, Nicholas Molyneux, Natasha Powers, Stephanie Rátkai, Jennie Stopford, Ric Tyler and Meg Watters. Illustrations by Nigel Dodds, Helen Moulden, Bryony Ryder and Ric Tyler.

Archaeological and historical investigations at Tutbury Castle, StaffordshireBirmingham Archaeology Monograph Series 11A report on the archaeological and historical investigations undertaken at Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire. The town of Tutbury is situated on the eastern border of Staffordshire in central England some 15km south west of Derby and 6.5km north west of Burton upon Trent. Around 1068-69 the Normans founded a motte and bailey castle on a tactically advantageous bluff above the town with the strategic purpose of controlling important north-south and east-west routes of communication. Attacks on the castle in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries may be cited as evidence of a continuing military significance down to 1322, when, as one of Thomas earl of Lancaster's castles, it was sacked by the forces of Edward II. As part of the duchy of Lancaster estate it became a royal property from 1399 and was extensively rebuilt during the 15th century; it is this late medieval phase that plays the most significant part in defining the architectural character of the castle today. The Civil War revived interest in the strategic and tactical advantages of the site, and ultimately led to the castle's destruction, although an afterlife ensued in the 18th century as a farm and romantic ruin.With contributions by David Barker, Emma Collins, Matthew Edgeworth, Jon Goodwin, Emily Hamilton, Christopher Hewitson, David Higgins, Matilda Holmes, Richard Kelleher, Alex Lang, Rosalind McKenna, Philip Mann, Helen Martin-Bacon, Stephanie Rátkai and David SmithIllustrations by Nigel Dodds, Helen Moulden, and Bryony Ryder

This report outlines the results of archaeological investigations at Old Hall Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK (NGR SO 916984), carried out between 2000 and 2007. The results of the archaeological work have been combined with documentary, cartographic and genealogical studies, together with finds and scientific analyses, to present a broad interpretation of the history of settlement in the area and the motives behind it. The site was the location of a moated Elizabethan mansion house, the Great Hall, which lay at the edge of the then settled area of Wolverhampton in an area that had once been part of the town fields. A documentary reference suggests that there was an earlier house on the site, but there is only limited archaeological evidence to support this. The building of the Great Hall was intended to make a clear statement about the status, wealth and prestige of its owners, the Leveson family, who were prominent Wolverhampton merchants, also involved in the early industrialisation of the Black Country. The aspirations of the family are clearly demonstrated by their construction of one of Staffordshire's most significant early brick buildings The later history of the Great Hall mirrors that of the Black Country, fortowards the end of the 18th century it was converted for use as a japanning factory, known as the Old Hall Works, artefacts from which were exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851. A large-scale map of 1852 gives a detailed insight into the layout of the japanning factory, which was finally demolished in 1883, an Adult Education College being built on the site in 1899. The archaeological excavations took place ahead of the redevelopment of the college. This report shows something of the process by which the Black Country attained its distinctive personality.

Explains the practice of masoncraft in the Middle Ages, using evidence from a number of sources. This book investigates how a study of certain features in these buildings, such as the stonework and building joints, can contribute to our knowledge of working practices of masons in medieval England.